Safety razor blade



De.; 7,1943,- y HES l 2,336,048

SAFETY RAZOR BLADE Orignal Filed Decl 4, 1941 Patented Dee. 7, 1943 JNE STATES PATENT `OFFICE sarsrv Razon BLADE Nicholas Testi, Boston, Mass., assignor to Gillette Safety Razor Companyyoston, Mass., a corporation of Delaware 6 Claims.

This invention relates to safety razor blades. In certain aspects it consistsin a safety razor blade or a blade assembly having a protective cover of novel form and in a novel combination of sectional blade and protective cover.

In the handling of safety razor blades under commercial conditions of distribution and in the more or less casual treatment they receive by the user the extremely line keen edge of the blade is likely to be dulled by being brought into con.. tact with its Wrappings or with parts of the razor before the blade can be actually clamped in shaving position in the razor. For these reasons the best and most skillful efforts of the manufacturer in sharpening blades are often made of no avail because of the difculty of preserving intact the very fragile and delicate structure of a blade which has been brought to the keenest possible shaving edge.

With these conditions in view an important object of the present invention is to provide for safety razor blades a novel'protective cover normally projecting over the cutting edge of the blade, or of both cutting edges of a double-edged blade assembly, and protecting the same from direct contact until after the blade has been actually placed in the safety razor by the user and preferably until the user undertakes to clamp the parts of the safety razor to clamp the blade` in shaving position.

I have discovered that the desired results may be achieved by dividing the blade area longitudinally so that its tvvo halves or blade sections may be originally located or assembled Within the outline of the cover and may be laterally'separated and advanced to 'expose the cutting edge or edges of the blade section beyond the outline of the cover as the blade sections are moved into shaving position in the safety razor. In applying the invention to double-edged blades the blades may be divided into tvvo similar half sections each with an outer cutting edge. The blade sections are assembled in contracted or contiguous position with their cutting edges enclosed by the protective cover and means is provided in the safety razor for simultaneously expanding the sections or halves of the blade so that its effective Width becomes greater than that of the protective cover. This construction and arrangelment permits the employment of-a protective .adjustment of the blade section With respectto Athe coverand to provide an insulating 4and cushbe best understood and appreciated from the lfol- `lowing description of a preferred embodiment thereof, vselected for purposes'of illustrationland shown `in the *accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 isaplan vievv'of the protected blade'assembly;

Fig. "2 is a similar view showing the upper cover portion removed;

Fig. 3 is a plan vieW of the partially'separated blade sections in position upon the guard member of a safety razor, `a portion of the upper cover section being shown as removed;

Fig. 4 is a similar View showing the blade sections in fully exposed condition, the cover portion intact and portions of the cap in cross-section;

Fig. 5 is a view in 'end elevation of the safety razor corresponding to Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a view in end elevation ofthe complete safety razor in shaving condition.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention shoWs its application to a razor designed to employ a double-edgedblade. The blade-sections l0 are similar in contour and assembled in reverse position. They may be constructed of narrow ribbon steel substantially one-half the Width of 'that now required for a standard doubleedged blade andOlOOl to` 0.067 inch in thickness, for example. Each.` blade section 'it is sharpened at its outer longitudinal edge il and is provided with corner nOtchesforming elongated unsharpened end portions I2. These are defined in part by oblquely diverginginner edges i3 so that in effect a V.shapedjnotch is provided at eachend of the complete blade assembly in its major axis. The inner edge of each section is cut away so that together they form-in outline a'strai'ghtcentral longitudinal slotlying symmetrically in the major axis of the assembled blade and havingV at both ends inner converging edges It. Ineach blade sectionis provided a pair of spaced circular holes l5 which are useful in holding kthe blade duringcertain manufacturing steps upon it and in the step of supplying its protectivecover.

The cover` itself may be of cardboard, heavy paper, felt or other sheet material and,.asy shown in Figs. 1 and 2, may comprise an upper leaf20, lower Vleaf --2 and a-connecting hinge portion 22' as tocmask the entire bodyporton of both blade sections, extending slightly beyond both the cutting edges l I so as to enclose and completely protect them. The cover is longitudinally slotted at 22 in registration with the inner edges of the blade sections and so as to expose the inner converging edges I4 at the right-hand end of the blade sections and an adjacent part of each blade section. The inner edges of the sloi-l 24 are centrally and circularly recessed to accommodate f the shank of the safety razor cap as will be presently explained. The slot 24 is interrupted near one end by a bridge portion 25 and beyond this connecting bridge in the left edge of the cover is a deep notch exposingthe'diverging edges I3 and adjacent portions of the blade end sections. It will be seen, therefore, Ythat both blade sections are entirely covered except for small portions including and adjacent to the converging pairs of edges I3 and I4. The hinged portion 22 of the cover extends also about the right-hand end of the blade sections, while at the other end of the blade sections the end edge of the cover coincides substantially with the unsharpened end edges of the blade sections. Both sides or leaves Y of the cover 23 are provided with circular perforations 23 registering with the corresponding perforations I5 of the blade sections. As already explained the blade sections I may be located by inserting gauge pins in the holes I and may be assembled with the covers by locating them both upon gauge pins extending through these holes I5 and 23. In practice the cover is held yieldingly or in temporary slipping engagement with the surface of the blade sections by spots or a coating of oil or grease and thus the members of the blade assembly are maintained in position predetermined in accordance with the shape of the razor with which the assembly is to be used.

One appropriate form of safety razor for employing the protected blade above described is shown in Figs. 3 6. It includes an underlying blade-clamping member or guard 3D carried by a handle 3 I. Projecting above the surface of the guard member 30, which is convex in contour, are aligned studs 32 and 33. These are located in the major axis of the guard member in longitudinal alignment and extend a substantial distance above its face. As shown in Fig. 3 the studs are elongated and the right-hand end of each stud is convexed or more or less Wedgeshaped while the left-hand end of each stud is substantially square. In width the studs 32 and 33 correspond substantially with the width of the slot between the two blade sections I 0 and the slot 2li in the cover 2li-2|. Accordingly the protected blade may be placed upon the upper surface of the guard member 30 with the stud 32, which is the longer of the two studs, projecting into the internal slot formed between the two blade sections and passing through the slot 2d of the protective cover. In this position the blade is oiset toward the right upon the guard from its shaving position and the convex end of the stud 33 is located adjacent to the diverging surface I3' of the two blade sections.

The user is now required to slip the protected blade toward the left, causing the convex end of the stud 33 to engage the diverging edges I3 of the blade sections and to pry the two sections outwardly and apart. This is the position of the parts shown in Fig. 3, the left-hand end of the blade sections being fully separated, while the stud 32 has not yet begun to act upon their right-hand end. It will be noted that in the separating movement of the bladesections II) the cutting edges II have been carried outwardly beyond the edges of the protective cover 20. In the continued bodily movement of the protected blade and its cover toward the left the convex end of the stud 32 now becomes eiective and the right-hand end of the two blade sections are separated and forced apart. The sharpened edges II of the blade are thus fully exposed and lie in parallel relation outside the edges of the cover and in shaving position upon the guard member 30.

The safety razor includes a cap 34 having an inner concave blade-shaping face, downwardly projecting lugs 35 at each corner and a centrally threaded shank 36 which may be engaged and drawn down by the threaded spindle 3'I usually found in safety razors of this type. rI'he lugs 35 extend downwardly through notches provided for them in the ends of the guard member 30 in such position as positively to limit both the longitudinal and the outward movement of the blade secions by engaging their elongated unsharpened end portions I2. The blade sections are thus positively held in shaving position between the studs 32 and 33, on the one hand, and the lugs 35, on the other hand. They have arrived accurately positioned in their shaving position in the razor and it has been unnecessary, and in fact practically impossible, for anything to make contact with the now fully exposed shaving edges.

It will be noted that the two elongated blade sections Il) are similar in shape and are assembled in reverse position within their protective cover. The shape of their inner unsharpened edges is such as to form the central slot 24 with convergent end edges and these with the convergent external edges define a pair of spaced abutments projecting toward each other and contacting in the line of the major axis of the assembled blade. The protective cover, of course, substantially encloses the assembled blade sections except in certain areas giving access to the external convergent edges I3 and the internal convergent edges I4. It will be further noted that when the blade is initially presented to the guard member the stud 33 is located closer to the external converging edges I3 than the stud 32 is to the internal converging edges I d. The result is that when the blade is slipped toward the left on the guard the action of the stud 33 in separating the left-hand end of the blade sections is substantially completed before the stud 32 begins to separate the right-hand end of the blade sections.

The studs 32 and 33 are of `equal width and their longitudinal faces are located in alignment. When the protected blade is initially presented to the guard 30 it is so located that the stud 32 passes -up into the slot 24. This stud 32 is of p substantial length and has an importantl function in guiding the protected blade as the latter is moved toward the left upon the face of the guard. It is important to guide the'blade so that the external convergent edges I3 are engaged symmetrically by the convex end face of the stud 33. The stud 32 also guides the blade sections so that their unsharpened elongated end portions I2 pass within the end notches of the guard which are subsequently to receive the downwardly extending lugs 35 ofv theecap member. While both of the studs 32 and33 are herein shown as projecting from the vguard member, it is within the scope of the invention to locate both of these studs'on either of the blade-clamping members or to locate one stud on each of the said members.

This application is a division of my application for Letters Patent for improvements in Protected blades and razors, Serial Number 421,539, led December 4, 1941.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail one embodiment thereof for purposes of illustration and not in any limiting sense, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A protected blade comprising elongated blade sections of similar shape assembled in reverse position with sharpened edges disposed in opposite directions, and a protective sheet covering both sections and extending over both of their ends and both of said cutting edges, the sections being connected to the said cover and thus maintained in predetermined assembled relation.

2. A protected blade comprising elongated blade sections of similar shape assembled in reverse position with recessed inner edges dening an intermediate slot and outer sharpened edges, and a protective sheet substantially covering both sectionsY and extending beyond both of said cutting edges and over both ends of said sections, the sections being connected to the said cover and thus maintained in predetermined assembled relation.

3. A protected blade comprising elongated blade sections cf similar shape having outer sharpened edges and being assembled in abutting contact at their inner unsharpened edges, said inner edges being partially cut away to provide a central slot terminated at one end by converging edges and end notches distinct from said slot, and a protective sheet substantially covering the bodies of both blade sections including their sharpened cutting edges, and being slotted to expose the blade sections adjacent to the converging edges of said central slot, the blade sections being adhered to the said cover and held thereby in assembled relation.

4. A protected blade comprising elongated blade sections having outer sharpened edges and inner edges providing contacting abutments spaced longitudinally from each other and arranged to hold apart the said inner edges throughout their center portions, the abutments having edges diverging from their line of contact, and a protective cover enclosing the blade sections except adjacent to the said diverging edges, the blade sections being adhered to the said cover and held thereby in assembled relation.

5. A protected blade comprising long narrow blade sections having outer sharpened edgesl and elongated unsharpened end portions, the said end portions having converging end edges and the inner unsharpened edges of the blade sections 'being recessed to define between them a long slot with converging end edges, and a protective cover enclosing the said sections except in areas including certain of the 4said convergent end edges,.the blade sections being adhered t0 the said cover and held thereby in assemb-led relation.

6. A protected blade unit comprising a folded cover of sheet material having an elongated central slot and an end notch, and blade sections of similar shape enclosed Within and lightly adhered to said cover in contiguous and reversed positions and having sets of opposed diverging edges with their vertices exposed in the central slot and in the end notch of said cover.

NICHOLAS TESTI. 

